Double bullet day for Deep Blue at RORC Nelson’s Cup

After day one’s maelstrom, the second day of racing for the IMA Maxi class at the RORC Nelson’s Cup in Antigua was less boisterous, with the sun out, generally flat water and a moderate breeze that topped out at 15 knots. The maxis raced two coastal courses, including reaching legs, both of 18-19 miles.

Racing between the maxis is very focused on the three-way fight between the 100s - the former Wallycentos Karel Komárek's V and Chris Flowers' Galateia plus Joost Schuijff's Leopard 3 - leaving Wendy Schmidt's 85ft Deep Blue and Filip Balcaen's 72ft Balthasar much to their own devices astern. However in both races today, Deep Blue, the elegant royal blue Botin Partners 85 footer, managed to hang on to her larger rivals winning the first race from V and the second from Galateia by a slender 3 seconds, showing the competitiveness of the racing under IRC. Thanks to her two bullets, Deep Blue has taken the overall lead going into tomorrow final day of IMA Maxi racing at the Nelson’s Cup

As ever the start off Fort Charlotte was highly tactical, with many comparing it to Riva del Garda, which also has a sheer cliff constraining one side of the race course.

In the first race, when the wind peaked at 15 knots, V got the best start with Galateia above her and Deep Blue and Balthazar even higher up the line. V went on to win line honours by a minute on the water from Leopard 3 and then Galateia, with less than two minutes separating Deep Blue from the rest of the top three under IRC corrected time.

In the second race Galateia and V got the best starts, with Galateia by the pin and V mid-line with Deep Blue once again keeping her nose clean further up the line, at the cost of not getting the maximum benefit from the shift heading into the cliff down by the pin. In this it was the turn of Galateia to be first home on the water ahead of Leopard 3 and V, the white Wallycento so narrowly missing out to Deep Blue on corrected time with Leopard 3 third. Sadly Balthasar was forced to retire from this race when the block for the outhaul pulled out of the end of the boom. Fortunately she will be back racing tomorrow with her spare boom.

Meanwhile back in Falmouth Harbour Marina where the maxis are berthed, there was much celebration for Wendy Schmidt’s team having enjoyed the best day of results since Deep Blue was launched in 2020.

“It was a good day for us,” commented Deep Blue navigator Andrea Visintini. “We managed to race pretty well. The crew did an amazing job. Rob McMillan the tactician did a stunning job at the starts, which allowed us to stay in touch with the faster boats (that's our problem - we are quite a bit smaller than the Wallycentos, so we can't compete with them boat for boat and have to find our way through the racetrack, trying not to get affected by what's happening in front of us.”

Visintini added that as this was the second day of racing they were learning more and more about the conditions. “The wind was really shifty and we're trying to understand it. Every day we know it better - how the wind develops around the coastline, where the pressure is and everything. Of course, we played the shifts, but there weren't any big tactical decisions. There were no splits. And we found our mode - the trimming was great and we were able to lose not too much and stay in phase with the others.”

In the second race they lost out on the second upwind as the leaders found themselves in new pressure, but they clawed their way back on the next downwind.

Also Deep Blue has undergone several major modifications recently, such as a weight saving regimen and having her mast moved aft. “The original concept of this boat had a lifting keel but without that, we have been able to move it back.”

And as to the owner: “Wendy [Schmidt] is super happy of course. She is very competitive. She likes to win, so big smiles today She did an amazing job. She steered the whole race. It's a big thing for her. Everybody on the boat did an amazing job,” concluded Visintini.

Among the 100s Leopard 3 scored a 3-3 and V had a marginally better day posting a 2-4, winning the 100s first race.

“It was a great day on the water - really nice conditions,” commented V’s captain, round the world racer Jack Bouttell. “It’s a very different regatta to last year when it was cranking every day. This has been quite light conditions and very tactical, obviously with the coastal effect and the cliff at the start. In the first race, we had a good start and just held it for the whole way and had a good result.”

The second race was tougher, Bouttell continued: “The start wasn't as good. We were a bit more buried and Galatea and Leopard got the first tack in before us. We were a bit late to the line and there was a bit of a left shift, so they did better being closer to the shore and coming out. Then the first half of the course was pretty much ‘follow the leader’ with no passing lanes.”

Tomorrow is the final day of the Nelson’s Cup racing for the IMA Maxi class which will conclude with a prizegiving backed by the IMA and the RORC at the Admiral’s Inn.